Accreditation

All schools included in the ranking are regionally or nationally accredited. Those that have received specialized accreditation are awarded points as follows.

Points:

CACREP or COAMFTE Accreditation: 3 Points

Concentration Areas

A doctoral degree in Counseling is an excellent way to begin your career. An even better start to a blossoming career is taking your educational opportunity and getting the most out of it. Those doctoral programs that allow students to earn a specialization make the degree even more valuable. Specialization allows students the opportunity to receive in-depth training in the area of counseling they plan to pursue upon graduation.

Points:

Schools offering 2 or more areas of concentration or specialization: 1 Point

Tuition

It is important to consider the cost of the program. Tuition data has been gathered from university or college self-reports.

Points:

Under $15,000/yr. / $15,000 – $20,000 / above $20,000:

3 Points / 2 Points / 1 Point

College Ranking

We considered major rankings at both university-wide and program specific levels.

Points:

US News Best National University Ranking / Best Regional University Ranking:

2 Points / 1 Point

Placement on US News and World Report Best Graduate Training Program in Psychology List: 2 Points

Online Format

Some programs describing themselves as "online" programs actually have in-person requirements. In this ranking, schools that offer the program fully online are awarded 1 point.

Points:

Fully Online Learning Format: 1 Points

Ties

Schools are presented in ascending order of point ranking. In the event of a tie, the edge goes to schools with specialized accreditation from either CACREP or COAMFTE.